Is the instructor Legal?

 If the instructor is a legal to teach you driving he or she should be displaying a badge on the car with will look like the ones on the right. Always ask to see this badge to start with as it show you that the instructor has gone though a rigger-us testing process and have achieved or exceeded the minimum level for teaching set down by the Driving Standards Agency, this also means that the instructor is subject to feather testing by the Driving Standards Agency to keep there standards of teaching heigh.

If the instructor don't have a badge for fails to display it he or she is commuting an criminal offence and you can report them to the Driving Standards Agency Fraud and Integrity Team. This team only deals with fraud and integrity which mean they deal with instructors that have not passed the required level of teaching but continue to teach and charge. The team also deal with claims of a sexual nature and other claims if you feel that your instructor is illegal please contact the The DSA Fraud and Integrity Team (FIT).

The DSA Fraud and Integrity Team (FIT) thoroughly investigates every case of suspected illegal driving tuition, and works closely with the police to take possible offenders to court.

If an offer of paid driving instruction is made to you, by someone who is not a qualified ADI, please report it to the DSA　FIT.

You can　contact DSA FIT by:

• phone on　029 2058 1155 (during office hours)

phone on　029 2058 1290 (out of hours)

sending　an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

All information you provide to the DSA FIT will be treated in the strictest confidence.

It is illegal for a person to provide driving instruction for a fee if they are not suitably qualified and registered with the DSA.

Illegal Driving instructors undermined and put you and other road users in danger of being in an accident or coursing one you wouldn't let a person who could swim be a life garde so why let pay an unqualified person teach someone how to drive.

Recommended?

If you have been recommended a driving instructor or school how do you know that the recommendation is good, well you can phone up and find out, I know it sounds simple but if you phone up a driving school like BSM you don't get to speck to the instructors, all you get is a call centre member taking your information down and putting you on an instructors dairy who has room even though the call centre staff are well trained I wouldn't know trust it and you don't get the same service that way as if you spoke to the instructor them selves. This why the good old say comes in "too any cooks spoil the broth".

Now I do run my own driving school but the difference is that I make sure that my instructors promote them selves so you will only take to real instructors not a call centre. Also with big driving school you friend may recommend them but there is no guarantee of getting the same instructor that they have had. What you also need to find out is has the driving instructor got a good reputation, is reliable and punctual, and dose the car they teach in suits you and your needs.

So in a summery of what you need to look for in finding the right riving instructor for is if you are paying someone to teach you to drive, they must be approved and registered with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA). Only a registered approved driving instructor (ADI) can charge money for teaching you to drive, recent surveys indicate that nine in ten learners who passed both theory and practical tests first time were taught by an instructor. A fully qualified ADI must display a green certificate on the windscreen of the car while teaching you. Some trainee driving instructors are granted a licence so they can gain experience before their qualifying examination. In this case, the trainee driving instructor must display a pink certificate on the windscreen.

DSA is responsible for maintaining and checking the standards of all ADIs, who to qualify must:

• have held a full driving licence for at least four years

pass a much tougher theory test than the one learner drivers take

pass a strict driving test

reach and keep up a high standard of instruction - the standard of tuition given by the ADI is regularly checked by a supervising examiner from DSA

be registered with DSA

display an ADI identification certificate on the windscreen of the tuition vehicle

DSA, as a government agency, is not allowed to recommend an instructor. It is recomended that you ask friends and relatives to recommend someone they know. You could also look in a local business directory for ADIs in your area and use the Directgov.uk 'find your nearest driving instructor' service.

Try and choose an instructor who:

• has a good reputation

is reliable and punctual

has a car that suits you

You should take advice from your ADI on:

all aspects of driving

what books to read

when to take your test